


Fragments of Paradise

by Silvials



Series: Tumblr Ficlets [1]
Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:35:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27323605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvials/pseuds/Silvials
Summary: A collection of post-canon and canon-divergent ficlets cross-posted from Tumblr. It's mostly fluff.
Relationships: Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince)
Series: Tumblr Ficlets [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2127039
Comments: 25
Kudos: 105





	1. The Changing of the Seasons

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wanted my tumblr to be a ficlet dump while ao3 is reserved for my longer fics, but I can’t seem to find some of my ficlets on tumblr even with the tags and all, so now they’re all here. I hope you guys enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which every blonde-haired, blue-eyed person in Akielos is vying for Damen’s attention during a feast, but Damen is too busy looking for Laurent to care.

“What do you like to do for fun, Exalted?” The blonde woman beside him asked. Damen had forgotten her name already. He knew that she was the daughter of one of the kyroi and was the youngest of three sisters, but he stopped listening shortly after that because he had lost sight of Laurent. It was difficult to spot him in the crowd. His blonde hair usually stood out like a beacon, but now the abundance of fair-haired people in the room only made him blend in.

Damen wasn’t an idiot. He was aware that almost everyone in the kingdom knew of his type, but he didn’t expect every nobleman to send their hair-haired sons and daughters to him with a hope that one of them might become his lover.

Damen didn’t mind it at first. He didn’t feel inclined to interact with any of them, and they wouldn’t dare approach him with Laurent by his side. But at some point, Laurent left to speak to Torveld, and it wasn’t long before the blonde woman took the seat he had vacated. She was exactly the type of person Damen would’ve gladly tumbled in bed with a lifetime ago, but now his only concern was to find Laurent.

He excused himself from the table, no longer caring if he seemed rude. He scanned the crowd in search for Torveld, and was relieved to see that he wasn’t with Laurent. He then proceeded to navigate through the room, stopping once in a while to check the archways that led to the balconies.

He finally found Laurent in the balcony at the very end of the banquet hall. He was overlooking the garden, with his back turned to Damen, illuminated by moonlight that made him look like something out of a dream. Damen admired the sight for a moment, before clearing his throat to make his presence known.

Laurent turned towards the noise, wide-eyed at first, but he smiled when he saw it was Damen. “Bored of the festivities already?” he asked.

Damen stood next to him and instinctively wrapped an arm around his waist. “You weren’t there.”

“And what of the women you were talking to?” Laurent prodded, his tone more amused than accusatory.

“She wasn’t you,” Damen said simply and planted a kiss on Laurent’s forehead. “What are you doing out here by yourself?”

Laurent turned his face towards Damen’s neck in response. “It was a little too much.” He didn’t have to explain any further. Damen knew sometimes interacting with people tired Laurent out the same way a full day of sparring would.

“Are you sure you’re not here to stew in your jealously?” Damen couldn’t help but tease him.

“Should I be?” Laurent asked with a pointed glare, but the effect was lessened by the quirk of his lips. “I honestly find their efforts to be quite funny.”

“I find it a bit insulting.”

Laurent raised a brow at him questioningly, so Damen went on. “We held this feast to celebrate the anniversary of our marriage and our alliance, and yet they still assume I’m looking for a lover.”

“Monogamous marriages are quite uncommon in Akielos.”

“But have I not made it clear that I want only you?”

“You have,” Laurent absently touched the cuff on his wrist. “But it never hurts to hope. You do have a weakness after all.”

Damen groaned and buried his face in the blonde hair that he was admittedly very fond of. “I feel like I’ve already offended a lot of them. I’m not as good with side-stepping as you are.” 

“What do you suggest we do?”

“Come back with me.”

Laurent leaned closer to him, his smile suddenly turning lewd. “Do you wish to claim me?”

“If you would let me,” Damen managed to say around the arousal building at the pit of his stomach. “The people could use a reminder once in a while.”

“And how would you like to do it? Perhaps bending me over the table would be a strong enough statement.”

Damen felt a blush creep across his face, earning him a laugh from Laurent. “You and your Akielon sensibilities,” he muttered and reached out to cup Damen’s cheek.

Damen leaned into the touch for a moment, before taking Laurent’s other hand in his own. He watched, transfixed, as the moonlight played across on the twin cuffs adorning their wrists. “Perhaps this would be enough for now.”

“Come then,” Laurent tugged at his hand and began leading him back to the banquet hall. Damen couldn’t help the way his heart swelled at the mere thought of Laurent holding his hand.

Every pair of eyes swiveled towards them when they entered the banquet hall, their gazes lingering on the joined hands of their kings before looking away as if it was too intimate. Damen wondered what was going through their heads. It was indeed strange to see the frigid Laurent of Vere show affection in public, and Damen hoped that was a clear enough message for everyone to leave them alone.


	2. One Night and One Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Laurent makes Damen work more on their wedding night.

**One Night**

“Why would you do this to your husband?” Damen lamented when he finished unlacing Laurent’s jacket and found another layer of cloth hindering his progress.

“It’s a traditional Veretian wedding garb,” Laurent said while reclining against the pillows and being absolutely no help at all.

The said Veretian garb consisted of no less than three layers, each of which was held together by stiff laces with narrow eyelets. It was unnecessarily complicated like everything in Vere, although Damen suspected Laurent might have altered the design of his wedding clothes just to torment him.

“I could have brought you to a climax by now,” Damen grumbled. He peeled away what he thought was the final jacket and swore when he found a tightly laced shirt underneath. Laurent seemed to find the whole ordeal amusing.

“Think of it like unwrapping a present,” he told Damen.

“I would greatly appreciate it if the present came unwrapped.”

“Well, that would hardly be appropriate for the wedding guests.”

It took a few minutes before Damen was able to undo the last of the laces and pull the shirt over Laurent’s head. He then proceeded to undo the laces of Laurent’s trousers. It took considerably less effort compared to his jacket, but the fabric clung to Laurent so tightly, that when Damen tried to pull them off his hips, he only ended up dragging Laurent down the pillows.

Damen groaned and buried his face in the sheets while Laurent laughed at him. “You will be the death of me.”

Laurent pressed a consoling kiss on his cheek before leaning back against the pillows. “Giving up already?”

Damen didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, he reached for Laurent’s trousers again and tore them right off.

Laurent was far too aroused to protest.

**One Morning**

Damen woke to the sound of someone knocking on their door. He shoved a pillow over his head and waited for whoever it was to go away. Surely, there were no matters to attend to on the day after their wedding, but the knocking resounded again after a pause.

Laurent began to stir in his arms. He opened his eyes and grinned mischievously at Damen, but before he could tell the intruder to come in, Damen rolled on top of him and silenced him with a kiss. Laurent huffed in protest, but kissed him back anyway.

The knocking continued, but they both ignored it. Right now, they only wished to enjoy their first day as husbands. The kingdom could wait.


	3. For Old Time's Sake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Laurent asks Vannes to cover for him while he goes off into his cloth merchant adventures.  
> I've always had this headcanon that Auguste and Vannes were childhood friends, so by extension, Laurent also spent a lot of time around Vannes while growing up.

“Sister,” Laurent greeted when Vannes strode into the room. Vannes paused at the doorway, wondering if she heard him correctly. Even the usually stoic Prince’s Guard s were visibly confused.

“It’s been a while since you called me that,” Vannes told him, pretending to be unfazed as she made her way towards him.

“It’s been a while since we had the opportunity to dine together,” Laurent said, all sharp wit and sly smiles. It was hard to reconcile the image of him now with the memory of a shy little boy tailing behind his brother.

“It was more endearing back when you barely came up to my shoulder,” Vannes said. She settled on the seat across Laurent, while he regarded her with a calculating look that was less frigid than usual.

“So what do you want?” Vannes normally wouldn’t address him so boldly, but the prince seemed to be in an agreeable mood.

Laurent hid his surprise well behind a nonchalant shrug. “I simply want to breakfast with a friend.”

“For old time’s sake?” Vannes asked wryly. “You know, you might have grown a few inches taller, but you haven’t changed much. I recognize that look when I see it.”

“You never used to,” Laurent said, in a tone that made it seem like Vannes was the one being called out. “I had to follow you around all day before you realized I wanted the book you took from the library.”

“It would be easier if you told people what you want instead of leading them through an intricate maze.”

Laurent considered her statement for a moment before leaning forward. “I wish to ask for permission.”

Vannes blinked at the absurdity of his words. “You are the future King, you don’t need my permission.”

“A favor then,” he amended. “I plan to depart for Akielos in a week’s time.”

“Ah,” Vannes said with a raised brow. “You wish to frolic in the countryside with your Akielon lover?”

She could see Laurent blushing furiously despite his neutral expression.

“Not exactly,” he said with a defensive edge. “There are rumors of an illegal slave-trade occurring in the borders of Aegina. Damianos plans to deal with it himself and he has invited me to join him.”

“You have an entire kingdom at your disposal; can’t you send someone else to take care of it?”

“I’d rather take matters into my own hands. It’s more efficient that way.”

“And what of your ascension?”

“I’ll be back by then.”

Vannes looked at him doubtfully, to which Laurent sighed deeply in response. “Just allow me the pleasure of frolicking in the countryside with my Akielon lover. In disguise.”

Vannes couldn’t help but snort. “See, was it so hard to be straight-forward?”

“I didn’t want to give the impression that I was shirking my duties.”

“Aren’t you, though?”

Laurent’s answering glare was almost petulant.

“Fine,” Vannes conceded. “I’ll indulge you, but what should I tell the council?”

Laurent leaned back in his seat, looking entirely too eager for someone who was about to raid an illegal slave-trade. “That’ll be up to you. You’re free to be as creative as you wish.”

“You might regret giving me such liberties,” Vannes said and stood up without waiting for Laurent to dismiss her.

“Is there somewhere you have to be?” Laurent asked.

“Someone has to handle all the paperwork you’re about to abandon.”

Laurent smiled and waved her away, but Vannes, who had been crossing every boundary since this conversation started, ruffled his hair on the way out.

Laurent scowled, like he always did when anyone but Auguste teased him. “You’re not allowed to do that to your King.”

“And you’re not allowed to call me _sister_ without expecting that,” Vannes replied.


	4. Giant Animal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Damen helps Laurent reach a high shelf and Laurent has another sexual awakening.

“Do you need help with that?” Damen asked. He was sitting at his desk at the other end of the room, clearly amused as he watched Laurent attempt to reach the stack of parchments on the top shelf.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Laurent replied curtly. He was tempted to jump for a moment, but he wasn’t about to let Damen see him try so hard, so he redirected his efforts to finding a step stool.

“Are you sure about that?” Damen persisted, sounding as if he was on the edge of laughter.

Laurent ignored him at first, but after a few minutes of fruitless searching, he let out a frustrated huff. “Why must you put everything on the top shelf?”

“It isn’t that high.”

“It is.”

“Well perhaps you’re just short.”

Laurent scowled at him. The last time he had been called short, he was eight years old and barely came up to Auguste’s shoulder. He had definitely grown several inches since then. “I’m a perfectly average height,” he said firmly. “You’re just a giant animal.”

Damen abandoned his work on the desk and strode over to him. “Let me help you then.”

“Fine” Laurent stepped aside grudgingly, but instead of reaching for the top shelf, Damen grabbed him around the waist and hefted him up. Laurent let out a surprised yelp and instinctively wrapped his legs around Damen’s torso to steady himself. Damen adjusted his grip on him and walked backwards until Laurent was eye-level with the top shelf. Laurent stared at it blankly, his mouth suddenly dry and all thoughts momentarily forgotten.

“You were looking for something?” Damen said, and it was strange to see him smiling up at Laurent for once.

“I seem to have no use for it anymore,” Laurent replied, leaning down to kiss Damen. He was pleased to note that Damen’s grip didn’t waver at the sudden motion. “Was this your plan all along? Did you purposefully put everything out of reach so you can carry me around like a damsel?”

“Not everyone thinks ten steps ahead like you. It was a simple discovery that’s all.”

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Immensely, and it seems like you are too.”

Laurent shifted in his grip and pressed himself closer until Damen could feel his straining cock against his stomach. “I’m appreciating the view from up here.”

“Should I fuck you like this?” Damen asked as he crowded him against the nearest wall.

Laurent squeezed his legs tighter around Damen’s sides. “I would appreciate that even more.”


	5. Too See The Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a highly self-indulgent fic in which Laurent’s trial goes awry, but Damen comes to Laurent’s rescue as he’s awaiting his execution. It’s probably wildly off from canon because it’s been a while since I read the books, but I might expand on this idea in the future. Also Nicaise lives.

Damen charged into Ios with an army.

He didn’t know how it happened, but it was by sheer luck that Nicaise found Vannes at Karthas, bearing the evidence he had stolen from the Regent. Vannes, in turn, had persuaded Makedon to take their army south, and they had somehow arrived shortly after Damen returned from Kingsmeet.

Now the Ios was thrown into chaos as the combined forces of the Akielon and Veretian army subdued the palace guards, but Damen could barely process what was happening around him. He no longer cared about Kastor’s whereabouts, nor did he care about running his sword through the Regent. He just needed to find Laurent.

Damen had been relieved when he didn’t spot Laurent’s head on a spike along the traitor’s walk, but that didn’t mean the worst was over. A quick interrogation led one of the guards to reveal that Laurent’s trial had ended a few hours before they arrived, and Damen felt his stomach drop as he made a mad dash towards the dungeon.

He took out all the guards with relative ease and snatched the keys from the captain’s belt. His heart was pounding as he searched through the cells, but after coming face to face with several hollow-eyed prisoners, he finally found Laurent in the last cell.

He was sitting with his back against the wall, still wearing the tattered remains of his chiton. He was hugging his knees tightly against his chest, and his face was buried in his crossed arms. He likely didn’t hear Damen’s scuffle with the guards because of how secluded his cell was, or perhaps he just didn’t care.

Damen sheathed his sword and crouched down to his level before calling out. “Laurent”

Laurent jerked his head up the moment he heard Damen’s voice. His eyes were ridiculously wide, and his lips were parted slightly as if he was watching a foolish fantasy come to life. “Damen?” he said tentatively.

“Hello,” Damen said and offered him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

Laurent’s features twisted in confusion. “What are you doing here?’

“I’m going to get you out,” Damen showed him the key before fitting it into the lock and pulling the door open. Laurent flinched at the sound, which made Damen pause at the doorway. “How?” he asked, his voice strained as if he was on the verge of breaking.

“It might be a lot to take in,” Damen said carefully. “But Nicaise is alive. He stole evidence from the Regent and fled Arles. He arrived at Karthas shortly after we left, which convinced Vannes and Makedon to take the army to Ios.” He slowly approached Laurent as he spoke, but Laurent seemed to shrink back further.

“You’re not real. None of this is.”

 _He thinks he’s alone,_ Damen thought again, feeling his heart constrict painfully. “It is.” He held out his hand to Laurent.

Laurent simply stared at it for a moment before gingerly reaching out to take it. His face crumpled as soon as their hands met and Damen took it as a chance to gather him into an embrace.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Laurent said, but he pulled Damen tighter against him and tucked his head in the crook of Damen’s neck.

“I keep overturning your plans, remember?”

“Yes,” Laurent let out a shaky laugh. “Never have I been gladder.”

Damen planted a kiss on the crown of Laurent’s head and simply held him until the tremors in his body subsided and his grip became less desperate. The worst was over now, and they could finally be free from all the ghosts and lies and everything else that haunted them.


	6. If It's Burning Right Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Laurent tends to Damen's scars and some unexpected fluff ensues.

As Damen was rattling off his mental checklist on the day of his departure, he made an offhanded comment about asking Paschal for a salve to soothe the ache in his back. Then he froze once he realized he was talking to Laurent. He didn’t want to create any unnecessary tension between them by mentioning his scars, but Laurent only hummed in response and curled closer against him, already drifting back to sleep. He either didn’t process Damen’s words or was deliberately ignoring them, but Damen didn’t care. He buried his face in Laurent’s hair and allowed himself to savor their last morning together before they were inevitably separated again.

Later that day, once the preparations were completed and his men were gathering in the courtyard, Damen made his way back to the royal chambers to get dressed and say goodbye to Laurent. When he opened the door, he found Laurent sitting on the settee, staring pensively at something in his hand. He looked up when Damen entered. “Did you go see Paschal?” he asked.

Damen realized he had forgotten and shook his head. The pain was still present, but it had dulled considerably throughout the day. It would probably go away on its own once he returned to the warmer climate of Akielos. “Don’t worry about that. I don’t need it anymore.”

“You do,” Laurent insisted and held up a bottle that Damen realized was Paschal’s salve. Then he strode over to Damen and took his hand. “It’s a long journey, we have to make sure you’re comfortable.”

Damen allowed Laurent to lead him towards their bed, feeling his heart constrict with a fierce sense of affection.

“Lie on your stomach,” Laurent said, his expression earnest. Damen pressed a kiss on the crease forming between his brows before doing as he’s told. Once he was settled, Laurent climbed on top of him and straddled his thighs. It was a familiar position for both of them, but it was usually the other way around. Damen could feel his arousal start to build as his mind went wild with the possibilities.

“This is new,” Damen said in attempt to scatter the silence building around them. Laurent paused halfway through unclasping the pin on Damen’s chiton and let out an amused huff. “You’re supposed to be leaving soon,” he reminded.

Damen craned his neck and flashed him an innocent smile. “Are you so eager to be rid of me already?”

“I’m making sure you are a responsible king.”

“Aren’t you even a little bit curious?”

“I am, but we can save that for our next heartfelt reunion. Now turn around and stop talking.”

Damen laughed and resumed his initial position. He felt Laurent peel away the top half of his chiton and in the next moment, his hands were all over Damen’s back. Laurent rubbed the salve into the lines of his scars, but his movements were tense and hesitant, as if he wasn’t sure he was allowed to. Damen let out a contented sigh as a signal for him to keep going, and Laurent began to add pressure to his touches, alternating between massaging and caressing. By the time he was finished, Damen was completely blissed out. He had closed his eyes at some point to relish the pleasant burn of the salve and the warmth of Laurent’s body on top of him.

“Damen?” Laurent called and nudged him on the shoulder when he received no response. “Wake up!”

“Hm…” Damen said but made no attempt to move. “I change my mind. I’d like to stay a little longer.”

“You have to get dressed.”

“It will only take a moment. I’m not Veretian.”

“Your men are waiting for you.”

“You’ll have to come up with something more convincing.”

“I’ll give you a kiss if you wake up now.”

Damen opened his eyes and turned to Laurent. “I’m awake now.”

“You have to get up first.” Laurent slid off him and tugged at Damen’s arm to coax him upright. Damen sat up grudgingly, but stopped when Laurent tried to pull him out of the bed.

Laurent rolled his eyes. “You are being extra difficult today.”

“I just realized you’d have to publicly kiss me goodbye anyway.”

“Then you can have two kisses,” Laurent amended. “I’ll save the filthiest one for the crowd.”

“Ah yes,” Damen couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image Laurent provided. “I forgot how much you love to scandalize Akielons.”

“What will it be then?”

Damen pretended to consider his offer for a moment before wrapping an arm around Laurent’s waist to pull him closer. “What if I want something else?” he said, and that was the only warning he gave before he fell back against the sheets and dragged Laurent with him.

Laurent let out an indignant squawk and barely managed to stop himself from face-planting into the sheets. “ _Damen_ , the salve!”

“I’m sorry,” Damen said with no trace of guilt in his tone. “It looks like I’ll have to stay a little longer.”


	7. Anything For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Laurent surprises Damen on his birthday.

Damen’s 27th name day happened as they were approaching the final steps of unification, so it was understandable for Laurent to remain in Vere to sort out some lingering issues. He already sent a dispatch apologizing for his absence, along with an intricately carved sword that was meant to be his gift. Damen would have gotten it by now and was likely in the process of composing a reply. Laurent could already imagine what his letter would be like. Damen was so open with expressing his affection, he would make Laurent long for him with his words alone.

However, Damen’s letter never reached its recipient because by then, Laurent had made a reckless decision to ride for Ios with only Jord and Lazar in his retinue. He had meant to stay behind in Arles, but as he was sitting alone in his chambers trying to get his work done, he was reminded of a distant time when Auguste surprised him on his name day even though he was supposed to be on border duty. The happiness he had felt then was unparalleled to any gift he had ever received, and he was overcome with the sudden urge to do the same for Damen.

He had sent a messenger ahead to inform Nikandros of his plans with explicit instructions not to tell Damen. Nikandros was already waiting for him at the palace gates by the time he arrived. He looked as exasperated as ever, but he apparently trusted Laurent enough to not suspect he was plotting an assassination attempt and helped him sneak into Damen’s chambers through the servant’s entrance.

“He should be occupied for the whole morning,” Nikandros told him. “But I’ll try to bring him here as soon as I can.”

When he left, Laurent changed out of his riding clothes and put on a chiton he had asked to be prepared for him. Then he collapsed onto the bed and simply inhaled Damen’s scent as he waited.

It didn’t take long before there was a commotion outside. He heard Nikandros’ telling Damen that there was a surprise for him in his chambers and hurriedly sat up. He was at a loss on what to do for a moment but ultimately decided to recline against the pillows, allowing the chiton to hike up his thighs.

The door opened, but Damen paused at the doorway, as if unsure of what he was seeing. With Laurent hidden behind the canopy, it was hard to tell who he was from his silhouette alone. It probably seemed like Nikandros had gifted him with a pet and judging from the way Damen sighed, he probably believed that as well.

“Nik...” Damen said as he made his way towards the bed. “I told you I’m not interested in—” he trailed off once he saw Laurent, his expression almost comical as he processed the sight.

Laurent took advantage of the silence. “Hello Lover,” he greeted, and Damen’s face broke into a delighted grin.

“ _Laurent_ ,” Damen spoke like he was looking at a manifestation of a dream. Laurent was arrested by the reverence in his gaze, his mind reeling with the thought that someone could be this glad to see him. He didn’t realize Damen had climbed into the bed with him until he was tackled into an embrace.

Laurent gasped as he was abruptly knocked flat on his back, and he barely had time to catch his breath before Damen was planting kisses all over him. “You brute,” he said as he playfully tried to wrestle him off to no avail. Damen laughed at his attempts and rewarded him with a kiss on the forehead for his efforts. His happiness was intoxicating, and Laurent soon found himself giggling like a child.

“I thought you couldn’t make it,” Damen said once he finally calmed down. They lay side by side on the bed, out of breath as if they had just made love.

“I made time,” Laurent told him.

“Is that your way of saying you shirked your duties?”

Laurent felt the urge to defend himself, but he was too bliss-drunk to think of a witty remark and instead, he said: “Anything for you, love.”

Damen’s answering smile was radiant enough to light up the entire sky.


	8. Cone Sold Stober

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Laurent is Drunk and Damen is Endeared™️.

“Do you know where you are going?” Damen asked.

“Of course,” Laurent said with full confidence as he led him to the opposite direction of their bedroom.

He was drunk; they both were. Except the only difference was Damen still possessed most of his wits while Laurent could barely walk in a straight line. Still, Laurent acted like he was in control of the situation and insisted on leading the way. That was how they found themselves in the palace gardens in the middle of the night.

“I swear it’s this way,” Laurent said. There was an adorable furrow between his brows, and Damen couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m sure our bedroom does not have grass,” he told Laurent and took him by the shoulders to turn him around. Laurent allowed it, but then tugged at Damen’s hand again as if Damen was the one who was lost. This went on for several minutes as Laurent kept taking the wrong turns while muttering about the impracticality of Ios’ open archways.

Damen watched him in silent amusement as his mind strayed to the first time he had seen Laurent this drunk. If he thought Laurent’s drunken babbling had been endearing before, he was wholly unprepared for the amount of silliness he was witnessing now.

“Aha!” Laurent suddenly exclaimed, jolting Damen from his thoughts. He barely managed to pull Laurent back in time to keep him from barging into a nobleman’s guest room.

“Those are not our chambers either,” Damen said.

Laurent glared at the door as if it had offended him somehow. “Why do all the doors here look the same?”

“All the halls in Vere look the same,” Damen pointed out.

Laurent frowned at him. “They do not. You can easily tell them apart with the paintings on the walls.”

“Well, if Vere has paintings, Akielos has statues.”

Laurent squinted at the said statue at the end of the hall. “But they all look alike in the dark,” his tone was almost close to a whine, and Damen tried not to laugh at him.

“Come now,” he wrapped an arm around Laurent’s waist and steered him to the right direction. At some point, Laurent’s feet began to drag, and then he stopped supporting his own weight altogether, slumping boneless against Damen. “I’m tired of walking,” he announced into Damen’s chest.

Damen’s face was starting to hurt from accommodating such a wide smile. He didn’t hesitate to heft Laurent up into a bridal carry. Laurent would have protested at the treatment had he been a little more sober, but now he only hummed contentedly and buried his face in the crook of Damen’s neck.

Damen felt unsteady from the sudden onslaught of fondness that seized his heart, and he adjusted his hold on Laurent before continuing towards their bedroom.


	9. Rest in Your Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Damen relives the night of Kastor’s coup, and Laurent is there to comfort him.

Damen had been certain that he was reliving the night of Kastor’s coup the moment he woke up in his old chambers with Lykaios in his bed. He was no longer surprised when a group of soldiers stormed through the door, but his instincts compelled him to fight back as they charged at him. He lasted just as long as he did before, but instead of being overcome with a sense of dread, he only felt resignation. That was until he realized the figure in his bed was Laurent and not Lykaios, and suddenly the line between nightmare and reality disappeared.

“No!” Damen struggled against the restraints as he watched the soldiers drag Laurent out of the bed by his hair. Laurent fought them, but he was quickly overpowered and forced onto his knees after a few moments. His eyes briefly met Damen’s, and he offered him a feeble smile before the soldier sliced his throat. Damen wasn’t sure what happened next, but he remembered screaming Laurent’s name as he was dragged to the slave baths.

Damen woke with a violent start, the echo of his own screams sending shivers down his spine. Every fiber of his body was seized with terror, but he managed to turn his head towards the door to brace himself for an attack. His pulse was racing with the remnants of adrenaline, but there were no signs of a scuffle outside. There was only silence, accompanied by the sound of rustling sheets as Laurent squirmed against him. Belatedly, Damen realized he had his arm wrapped around Laurent’s waist and was squeezing him a little too tightly.

“Sorry,” Damen said and loosened his grip immediately. “Did I hurt you?”

Laurent turned towards him and shook his head. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his brows creased with concern as he reached out to splay his hand over Damen’s chest.

“Nightmare,” Damen said, and yet he couldn’t seem to wrap his head around that fact. His heartbeat was erratic, and he couldn’t get his breathing under control no matter how hard he tried. He felt Laurent wipe the sweat from his brows and plant a kiss on his forehead, and then he was moving away.

Damen’s grip on him tightened unconsciously, reluctant to part with him, but Laurent was only reaching for the pitcher on his nightstand. He handed Damen a cup of water and helped him drink from it when his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Then Laurent leaned back against the headboard and pulled Damen against him so his head was resting on Laurent’s chest.

“Thank you,” Damen said. Hearing Laurent’s heartbeat calmed him, but he couldn’t banish the image of Laurent with a ribbon of blood across his throat. “I dreamed of Kastor’s coup,’ he went on his voice barely above a rasp.

Laurent shushed him and began to stroke his hair, but Damen felt the words bubbling in his chest, threatening to suffocate him unless he spoke. “Everything happened the way it did before, so I knew I was in a dream. But then you were there with me, and they killed you…they _killed_ you and I couldn’t do anything about it, and suddenly I couldn’t tell if it was real or not.”

“I’m right here,” Laurent said fiercely. “And while I have no control over what your mind subjects you to, I can guarantee that you’ll never face that kind of betrayal again. I’ll make sure of it.” Then he leaned down to kiss Damen, as if to seal his promise.

Damen allowed himself a moment to simply admire Laurent, his beautiful and brilliant husband, whose serpentine mind was capable of uncovering the seeds of any plot. He believed him completely.

“I’m here,” Laurent repeats, mistaking Damen’s scrutiny for doubt.

“I know,” Damen said and leaned in for another kiss. The warmth of Laurent’s lips drained the vestiges of terror from his veins, and Damen soon fell asleep to the feeling of Laurent’s fingers carding through his hair. 


	10. No Means to Defend Against This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May I present to you a hurt/comfort take on the hello lover scene in Kings Rising.

Laurent was starting to regret not asking Paschal to stitch his wound. His shoulder ached terribly, and he was feeling a little light-headed, but he celebrated the fact that he managed to keep himself upright during the entire confrontation with Damen. He watched with grim satisfaction as Damen agreed to his terms with a look of deep hurt, but just as Laurent thought he had won, he miscalculated while leaning back against the table and ended up crumpling to the floor.

Damen was at his side instantly. Laurent tried to scramble away from him, but the pain was paralyzing, and he could barely see past the black dots that erupted from the edges of his vision. “I said get out,” he snarled and swung his fists blindly, but Damen caught his wrists in a firm grip.

“Laurent,” Damen said in a tone that one would use to berate a child. “You’re injured.”

“As if that wasn’t obvious enough,” Laurent attempted to wrench his hands away, but the motion sent a renewed wave of pain up his shoulder. “I said let go! Are you truly such a witless brute—”

“Stop making it worse,” Damen snapped, and there was something in the command that made Laurent’s muscles seize. Damen looked every inch the warrior-king that he is, but he wasn’t leering the way Govart had been when he caught Laurent in a vulnerable position. There was genuine concern in his eyes, and for some reason, that made Laurent furious.

Damen must have sensed his anger because he let go of Laurent’s hands immediately but remained stubbornly in place. “I know you intended to meet us at Charcy but something happened, and you got hurt.”

Laurent wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t think of a scalding response amidst the fear and exhaustion that clouded his mind.

Damen went on. “What happened between us at Ravenel doesn’t matter anymore, but I know it wasn’t merely one of your cold-blooded schemes. If you no longer reciprocate the fondness that I feel for you, then so be it. Just let me help you.”

“Why?” Laurent asked. It felt like he was admitting defeat, but he had no other means to defend against Damen. He wasn’t the monster that Laurent had expected him to be, but that was easier to accept when he was Damen the slave instead of Damianos the Prince-Killer.

Damen stood up without giving him a response, and Laurent hated himself for feeling thankful.

“Call for Paschal,” he heard Damen say. He knew he should try to get up, but his whole body was numb, and he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes. He was drifting on the edges of awareness by the time Damen returned to his side.

“I’m going to help you stand,” Damen informed him before wrapping an around Laurent’s waist, almost lifting him off the ground entirely. It should feel threatening, but Laurent had forgotten why he was angry in the first place. Damen was warm, and he was tired, so he closed his eyes and allowed himself to surrender.

The next moment Laurent awoke, he found himself stretched out on a palette. The pain in his shoulder had subsided into a dull throb, but there was an ache in his chest that he couldn’t quite place. He turned his head and realized that Damen was there, slumped over the palette with his head resting on his arms. He was asleep, and against his better judgement, Laurent reached out to brush a stray curl away from his face. He drew back his hand immediately, but Damen didn’t even stir. He was likely exhausted after coming straight from a battle, and yet he still stayed with Laurent even though Laurent had insulted, mocked him, and forced his hand. His kindness was too much to comprehend. Laurent turned away in attempt to calm the turmoil in his thoughts, but one thing became clear.

He was incapable of hating Damianos.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to drop by and say hi on [Tumblr](http://silvials.tumblr.com/).


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